Rev. Miles O'Brien Riley

Summary of Case: A woman informed the San Francisco archdiocese in the 1990s that Riley had had sexual contact with her in the early 1970s, beginning when she was 16 years-old. The archdiocese reviewed the accusation in 2002, and allowed Riley to quietly retire. Riley had been well known for many years as the voice of the archdiocese. His biography in 2011 is on the International Speakers Bureau website. It states that he "has written five musical comedies, published eleven books and hundreds of articles and reviews. He has produced a dozen films and hosted over 1500 television and 4000 radio programs." It says further, among other things, that "he has conducted communications training workshops throughout the United States and in 50 countries worldwide." Riley also earned doctorates in communication (U.C. Berkeley) and ethics (Gregorian University in Rome and the Graduate Theological Union) and a Masters in Marriage and Family Counseling.

Ordained: 1963
Retired: 2002

 

1963

San Francisco archbishop was Joseph Thomas McGucken (1962-1977)

1964

St. Paul's

1970

McGucken was succeeded by John Raphael Quinn (1977-1995)

San Francisco

• Riley was accused in the 1990s of having sexual contact with a girl beginning when she was 16 years-old in the early 1970s.

Mission Dolores had a school with 298-270 boys until 1976, when it became coed. From 1976-1982 the school had 285-240 students, male and female.

Riley is said to have established a communications center for the archdiocese in 1970.

1995

William Joseph Levada replaced Quinn (1995-2005)

St. Mark's had a religious education program with 135-175 students.

The archdiocese gave the information it had received in the 1990s regarding the accusation involving a 16 year-old girl in the early 1970s to the District Attorney in 2002.

2002

Levada was followed as San Francisco archbishop by George Hugh Niederauer (2005-)

Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1965-2010)

• S.F. Archdiocese Quietly Removing Accused Priests, By Jaxon Van Derbeken, San Francisco Chronicle, August 29, 2002
• Church News, San Francisco Chronicle, September 16, 2002
• See No Evil, By Ron Russell, San Francisco Weekly, May 21, 2003
• Miles Riley Biography, International Speakers Bureau, February 2, 2011

Priests in a Parish: We use the following convention to show a priest's place among the clergy of a parish: 1/2 means that he is the first priest listed in the Official Catholic Directory (usually the pastor) and that there is a total of two priests at the parish. The shorthand 3/4 means that the priest is listed third on a four-priest roster. See our sample page from the Directory.

Note: The Official Catholic Directory aims to report the whereabouts of Catholic priests in the United States on January 1 of the Directory's publication year. Our working assumption is that a priest listed in the Directory for a given year was at the same assignment for part of the previous year as well. However, Kenedy and Sons will sometimes accept updates well into the year of publication. Diocesan clergy records are rarely available to correct this information. The Directory is also sometimes misleading or wrong. We have tried to create an accurate assignment record, given the source materials and their limitations. Assignment records are a work in progress and we are always improving the records that we post. Please email us with new information and corrections.

This assignment record collates Riley's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with allegations as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegation we report, and we remind our readers that the U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements. For more information, see our posting policy.

This assignment record was last updated on November 22, 2011.